After last month’s short shuffle along Crooked Street, this time we’re going to stay on Walnut Street and head north past St. John’s Cathedral. All the residences that once existed on this block (as seen in the postcard below) have […]
Buildings
The Lawson McGhee Library, on the corner of W. Church Avenue and Walnut Street, has stood there for more than 50 years. Crammed full of books, DVDs, vinyl records and other media, serves the community, just like its numerous branches, […]
Our Evening Promenade
April 17, 2026
The tragic story of a once-controversial architect who’s in the national news again. The last year has brought a lot of unaccustomed anxiety in Washington and across the country about presidential initiatives concerning iconic national architecture, new and old. There’s […]
The Bijou’s Second Balcony: A New Book Highlights the African American Experience at Knoxville’s Historic Theater
April 15, 2026
Late last year, the nonprofit Knoxville History Project published a new book for the Bijou Theatre, The Second Balcony: The African American Experience at the Bijou Theatre. Researched and written by Jack Neely with the assistance of the Beck Cultural Exchange […]
Ghost Walking the Crooked Streets of Knoxville: Mysteries Remain on Walnut between Main & Cumberland
March 19, 2026
For the curious out there, there is one paved section of town that sounds a little more interesting than most: Crooked Street. This is the old name for Walnut Street that has fascinated a few Knoxvillians for years. Just like […]
KNOXVILLE SHOEBOX: New Vintage Photographs and Postcards Highlight the History of Knoxville Places and Events
March 2, 2026
At the nonprofit Knoxville History Project, we are always on the lookout for old images to expand our Knoxville Shoebox digital collection. If you have interesting photographs, postcards, brochures or ephemera from any era, we’d love to hear from you […]
Everything New is Old Again
January 29, 2026
Why downtown’s amazing developments all seem surprisingly familiar Look around, if you haven’t yet: Knoxville has changed in ways that make some parts almost unrecognizable. Not just on Gay Street, but in other environs of downtown—Blount and Sevier Avenues, East […]
Originally written by Paul James and published by Inside of Knoxville. Have you ever noticed how quiet it is around Gay Street and Main Street in the evening? During the day, it’s reasonably lively with lawyers, bankers, government employees milling […]
The Town With a Dozen Accents
December 5, 2025
The often-forgotten diversity of 1790s Knoxville Ken Burns’ The American Revolution was a powerful prelude to the 250th anniversary of the United States. One point the documentary makes over and over concerns the surprising diversity of America’s original patriots. If […]
12
Page 1 of 2
EDITOR
Jack Neely is executive director of the Knoxville History Project. He has become one of Knoxville’s most popular writers and its unofficial historian. Jack is well known for his thoughtful, well-researched, and provocative pieces of long-form journalism, not to mention his books, speeches, and other public appearances...
CATEGORIES
- Animals
- Art
- Artifact Collections
- Black History
- Buildings
- Cemeteries, Parks & Gardens
- Civil War
- Downtown
- Food
- Ghost Walking Articles
- Historic Homes & Churches
- Holidays and Festivals
- Industry
- Knoxville City Lifestyle Articles
- Literature
- Monuments
- Obituaries
- Other
- People
- Publications
- South Knoxville
- Sports
- The Smokies
ARCHIVES
CONTACT
123 S. Gay Street Ste. C
Knoxville, TN 37902JACK NEELY
jack@knoxhistoryproject.org
(865) 337-7723PAUL JAMES
Development Director
paul@knoxhistoryproject.org
(865) 300-4559NICOLE STAHL
Administrative Coordinator
nicolestahl@knoxhistoryproject.org
(865) 360-8053©2025 Knoxville History Project
Site by: Robin Easter Design
- PARTNERS
-
-
-
-
-
-
